The coaches call it "perfect play," but it's actually a sequence of snaps where the offense attempts to crisply execute against no defense at the end of each practice.

As it happened Wednesday, the 49ers ended the morning session with two swing passes near the goal line to running back Brian Westbrook from backup quarterback David Carr, the first to the left, the second to the right.

Surely, the 49ers were looking to instantly integrate one of the best pass-receiving backs of his era into the offense while also revitalizing what was a traditional strength dating to the days of Roger Craig, Ricky Watters and Lombardi trophies.

49ers safety Michael Lewis, part of the same Philadelphia Eagles draft class as Westbrook in 2002, played against him in practice, watched him on Sundays and immediately thought of the problems he will cause for 49ers opponents.

"It's a mismatch on defensive backs as well as linebackers," Lewis said. "I'm pretty sure (offensive coordinator) Jimmy Raye is putting together a scheme right now to utilize him on the field with Frank (Gore) as well."

Not so fast.

Westbrook's pedigree is that he is a go-to back in the receiving game unlike anyone the 49ers have had since Charlie Garner 10 years ago. As recently as 2007, Westbrook caught 90 passes for 771 yards.

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Over the past seven years, Westbrook has 29 touchdown receptions -- more than double the 14 scored by all 49ers running backs combined over the same span.

As tempting as it might be to begin drawing up plays sending Westbrook in motion with Gore in the backfield, Vernon Davis at tight end and Michael Crabtree split wide or in the slot, Raye hasn't gotten that creative.

Raye said he is intrigued by Westbrook's reputation as a receiver, but at the moment, his new toy is simply a stand-in for the man he replaced.

"As of right now, he's in the same role that Glen Coffee would have been in, in a position to learn and play some snaps behind Frank Gore," Raye said.

Raye added that Westbrook, who got in probably eight to 10 snaps with the 49ers' second-team offense Wednesday, will be fighting sixth-round pick Anthony Dixon for playing time, based on the rookie's 21-carry, 100-yard effort against the Indianapolis Colts in Sunday's preseason opener.

"I think Anthony Dixon is very much in the running for vying for time at that position," Raye said.

Raye said his job is to weigh Westbrook's ability to get open against the protection issues facing quarterback Alex Smith.

"I can't get so enamored with trying to get some things done for Brian Westbrook that it doesn't allow the offensive-line guys to develop so we can stand up and play upright," Raye said. "All that will take care of itself as we go forward."

Smith said he has given "a little bit" of thought to the addition of Westbrook, believing he gives the 49ers a good mix of running backs, although Smith's main concern is getting more practice time with Davis and Crabtree, who have been hobbled by injuries.

"I think you look at our running-back corps and there's a lot of versatility back there," Smith said. "It's kind of exciting to see what (Westbrook) will bring."

Considering the 49ers paid Westbrook $1.25 million (which reportedly can go up with incentives), they're gambling he has enough left after an injury-racked 2009 season to add what Raye calls the "frills and thrills" to the offensive system.

If Raye believes the team is rooted enough in the basics, the possibility exists to utilize Westbrook in situations where he not only floats out of the backfield as a hot read -- something he did a few times Wednesday -- but also goes in motion, lines up in the slot and prevents teams from putting eight men near the line of scrimmage to stop the run.

"What do you do?" Lewis said. "You put a corner on him, and he makes the corner look bad. You load the box, and they motion him out and he creates another mismatch. It's going to be a huge addition for our offense."

Until then, Westbrook will first and foremost be a traditional running back, and he already has taken a liking to the 49ers' straight-ahead blocking schemes after eight years of the stretch-and-cut system in Philadelphia.

"I like the power game, I like it a lot," Westbrook said. "I was always screaming at Coach (Andy) Reid, 'Run the ball, run the ball, run the ball.' This team seems like that's what they're going to do."